The present invention relates to a video data reproducing apparatus for switching video data reading routines in response to a different kind of recording medium and method therefor.
In an image recording/reproducing apparatus, a moving object is picked up by a pick-up means, such as a CCD, to thereby obtain motion picture data in a plurality of frames, and the plurality of frames of motion pictorial data are converted into digital data and recorded in a recording medium. Simultaneously with the recording of the motion picture data, sounds which have been produced by an object are inputted thereinto by means of a microphone, and the audio data are converted into digital data and are recorded in the recording medium.
When images and sounds are reproduced by using the video data reproducing apparatus, the motion picture or video image data and sound or audio data are read out from the recording medium to display the images on a display means such as a CRT (cathode ray tube) and to output the sounds to loud speakers.
Magnetic discs such as HDDs, rewriting type or additional writing type magneto-optical discs (MO discs) and the like are well known as large capacity recording media onto which the video and audio data obtained by the user are recorded. In general, the access to the recording medium is controlled by an operating system and the data are stored or written at random for every data block having a constant length.
On the other hand, CD-ROMs (Compact Disc Read Only Memories), optical discs and the like are well known as large capacity recording medium onto which the data could be neither added nor rewritten by user. In general, in such kinds of recording media, the video and audio data are both continuously recorded during the manufacturing process for producing the medium.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a structure of a reproduction processing apparatus for reproducing data from these different kinds of recording media according to the prior art. As shown in FIG. 7, the video and audio data of HDD 2 and CD-ROM 3 are under the control of a file controller section 1, reproduced by a reproduction processing section 7, displayed on a CRT 15 as the motion pictures on the basis of the video data, and outputted into loud speakers 16 as sounds on the basis of the audio data.
However, since the HDD 2 and the CD-ROM 3 are controlled by the common file controller section 1, although an output transfer speed of the data of the HDD 2 is high, an output transfer speed of the data of the CD-ROM 3 is relatively low. On the other hand, a reproduction speed of the reproduction processing section 7 is different from the above-described transfer speed.
Accordingly, the data of the HDD 2 may be reproduced for the motion picture, but since the data of the CD-ROM 3 can not follow the reproduction speed, there is a fear that some frames of the motion picture would be dropped and the video and audio data would be inconsistent with each other, resulting in faulty in motion picture reproduction.
In view of the foregoing defects, an object of the present invention is to provide a video reproducing apparatus which is capable of reproducing the data regardless of the transfer speed of the recording medium.